Environment | Residents told power station emission levels meet guidelines

Companhia de Electricidade de Macau (CEM) says that the black smoke emissions seen at their Coloane power station by local residents are within government guidelines.
People living in the neighborhood have been rasing concerns about the black smoke being discharged by CEM’s Coloane A Power Station. The residents worry about the effect of the pollutants being released, but the electricity operator stresses that it is working on a new eco-friendly option. CEM representatives told journalists yesterday that emission levels meet both EU and Macau SAR guidelines.
TDM cited Garrick Yuen, a senior engineer at Coloane A Power Station, who explained that the station’s generation units run on heavy fuel oil and, as a result of the combustion process, exhaust emissions are inevitably produced but only every time engines are turned on and off (a process that lasts for around 15 minutes).
“Once again I emphasize here that the black smoke from the diesel unit will only happen during the engines’ start and stop. In normal running conditions the emission level is still under the required limit. But CEM is always open to [reducing] environmental problems and we are proactively looking for a solution to minimize the impact for the environment”, Garrick Yuen said.
The company also stated that it is looking to decrease the duration and occurrence of emission levels by replacing the power station’s outdated diesel generators for natural gas ones. More technologically advanced engines will be working 24 hours a day, therefore improving efficiency and lowering pollutant emissions, CEM stated.